GRADUAL DECREASE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27038, 24 March 1949, Page 6

GRADUAL DECREASE

Dominion’s Annual Rainfall During Century

REVERSE SWING PREDICTED

PA WELLINGTON, Mar. 23. New Zealand’s rainfall is decreasing, according to the weather records for the whole country over the past 100 years. Dr C. J. Seelye, of Victoria College and lately in charge of climatology for the New Zealand Meteorological Service, estimated the rate of the decline of the annual rainfall in the North Island at 4 per cent, a century and in the South Island 2 per cent.

The first day-to-day records of New Zealand weather were taken at Wellington in 1852, but it was not until the nineties, when the weather service was greatly expanded, that there was sufficient accurate data for all parts of the country to enable scientists to compute an accurate average. For the past 50 years the data on New Zealand weather has been full and accurate. “Although there have been fluctuations, this general decline in rainfall is a definite fact,” said the meteorological officer for New Zealand, Mr J. W. Hutchings, to-night, but he added that it is a movement which shows Signs of swinging in the opposite direction. The South Island rainfall has been increasing over the past few years. “ Such general movements are probably taking place in the weather everywhere,” said Mr Hutchings. “ Meteorologists know that the weather

tends to recur in three-year and in 11year cycles] A wet year, for instance, is likely to recur three years afterwards in some part's of the world and 11 years after in others. In countries such as Japan, where the weather records go back over 1000 years, there are ample data to show such regular movements and cycles. “ Weather movements on a far larger scale than that in New Zealand are evidenced in the growth of the Central Australian Desert and in the desiccation in Libya over the last 2000 years,” said Mr Hutchings. “ Vegetation flourished in both regions long ago. More recently, from Hawaii, comes refreshing news that may banish all drought and weather worries in New Zealand. Dry ice was used on clouds over the Hawaiian Islands, and they experienced a record rainfall for the following 24 hours. With dry ice, the farmers of the future may have their rain ‘ on tap.’ ”